Rotary printing machine



May 26, 1953 A. M. HALLEY 2,639,666

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l 14/1/6116 MUHF/4) HALLE) 4 TTO/f/VEYS May 26, 1953 A. M. HALLEY ROTARY PRINTINGMACHINE Filed June 29, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H/MLE Y INVE/Y 7'0)?mug-$.14

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Patented May 26, 1953 OFFICE ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE Angus MurrayHalley, Moseley, Birmingham, England Application June 29, 1950, SerialNo. 171,156 In Great Britain May 8, 1950 (C1. Mll -247) 4 Claims.

This invention has reference to improvements connected with rotaryprinting machines and relates particularly to printing machines in whicha printing cylinder, which receives ink from a forme roller, isadjustably supported so as to be capable of being moved towards or awayfrom an impression roller around which the printing medium is adapted tobe fed;

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby theadjustment of the clearance or contacting pressure between the printingcylinder and the printing medium can be accurately set whilst admittingof the relatively quick removal of contact between the printing cylinderand printing medium when desired and the subsequent relatively quickresettin to the initial position, This relatively quick removal ofcontact is necessary for short breaks in the operation of the machinesince when using a volatile ink the printing cylinder quickly adheres tothe printing medium as the ink dries if the contact is maintained.

The invention consists of a rotary printing machine characterised inthat the printing cylinder is carried at each end by a lever adapted tobe adjusted by cam mechanism mounted. on a rotatable shaft, said shaftbeing carried within eccentrically disposed bores in a pair of rotatablebushes whereby the shaft may be moved laterally to provide for arelatively quick removal or resetting of printing contact.

The invention will now be described with particular reference to theaccompanying drawings in which for the sake of clarity all portionsforming no part of the present invention have been omitted. In thedrawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the mechanism for effecting theadjustment of the printing cylinder relative to an impression cylinderand.

Fig. 2 is a part sectional end elevation as seen from the right handside of Fig. 1.

Each printing cylinder is rotatably mounted at each side of the machinein a bearing 3 in a lever 4 pivoted to the side frame of the machine at5, it being appreciated that the rocking of these levers d about thepivots 5 effects the adjustment of the printing cylinder relative to theprinting medium disposed above the printing cylinder. Pivoted at 6 toeach lever 4. is a link i to the lower end of which is connected aslotted extension 8 surrounding a reduced portion of a transverse shaft9. The connection between the link I and the extension 8 is effected bya plate Ill in which are formed a plurality of holes II which can beselectively placed in register with a plurality of holes l2 in theextension 8 before being bolted together by bolts 13 so as to providefor an adjustment of the effective length of the combined link andextension. The extension 8 of each link i carries a transverse pin it inwhich is mounted a roller 15 engaging a facial cam track it formed in adisc ll fixed eccentrically in the shaft 9. The transverse shaft 9 ismounted at each end within eccentric bores l8 in bushes I9 rotatablymounted in the side frames til of the machine. These bushes It! haveradial extensions 2! to which are pivoted links 22 slidable in guides 23on the side frames of the machine, the opposite ends of th links 252being pivotally connected to links it pivoted to a slide 26 adapted tobe moved vertically by a pneumatically operated piston rod of an aircylinder N. The one extremity of the shaft ii carries a worm wheel 28 ina housing 29 and in mesh with a worm 36. The worm 36 is also mountedwithin the housing as on a vertical spindle 31 which projects from thehousing and is provided with a hand wheel 32. The housing it has abifurcated extension 33 engaging a stud fi l on the fixed side frame ofthe machine so as to prevent rotation of the housing whilst admitting ofit sliding laterally. The initial or accurate setting of the printingcylinder relative to the impression cylinder is effected by the rotationof the hand wheel 32 Which through worm 3t and worm wheel 28 rotatesshaft 9 together with discs IT to raise or lower the links '5 andthereby rock the levers 4. When the operation of the machine is stoppedan air valve is automatically operated to lower the piston rods 25 andthereby depress slides 25 to rock the links M to a position inprolongation of the links 22 and thereby effect a partial rotation ofthe bushes It to move the shaft 9 together with housing 29 laterally.The lateral movement of shaft Q is imparted through discs ll and pins Il to links if so as to rock the levers 4 through a predetermined angleto part the printing cylinder and printing medium. Where the machineincorporates a pair of printing cylinders each co-operating with anassociated impression cylinder then an exactly similar mechanism isprovided for each cylinder and each slide 26 is connected to a secondlink 2 similar to the link 24. If more than one pair of printingcylinders is provided the slide 25 may be extended and connected to afurther pair of links equivalent to the links 24 and 24 so that thestopping of the machine efiects the simultaneous removal of eachprinting cylinder from contact with its associated impression cylinder.

I claim:

1. In a rotary printing machine means for setting a printing cylinderrelative to the printing medium comprising, in combination, a pair oflevers, bearings in the levers for supporting the printing cylinder,said levers being pivoted to the frame of the machine, a shaft rotatablein eccentric bores in a pair of bushes in the frame of the machine, apair of discs eccentrically mounted on said shaft and having facial camtracks eccentric to the shaft, a pair of links each pivoted at one endto the corresponding one of said levers and having a pin engaging thecam track in one of said discs, means for rotating said shaft in thebushes and means for rotating the bushes in the frame.

2. In a rotary printing machine means for setting a printing cylinderrelative to the printing medium comprising, in combination, a pair oflevers pivoted at one end on the frame of the machine, bearings in saidlevers for supporting the printing cylinder, a shaft, a pair of discseccentrically mounted on said shaft, facial cam tracks eccentric to theshaft in each of said discs, a pair of links each pivoted at one end tothe free end of one of said levers and each carrying a roller engagingthe eccentric cam track of the corresponding one of said discs forrocking the pivoted levers, bushes rotatably mounted in the frame of themachine and having eccentric bores in which the shaft is rotatablyjournaled, a worm wheel on said shaft, a housing for the Worm wheel, thehousing being supported on the shaft and having a bifurcated extensionengaging a fixed stud, a worm on a spindle in said housing engaging saidworm wheel, a hand wheel on said spindle and means for rotating thebushes in the frame.

3. In a rotary printing machine means for setting a printing cylinderrelative to the printing medium according to claim 2, wherein said meansfor rotating the bushes in the frame comprises a radial extension oneach bush pivotally engaged by a link.

4. In a, rotary printing machine means for setting a printing cylinderrelative to the printing medium comprising, in combination, a pair oflevers pivoted at one end on the frame of the machine, bearings in saidlevers for supporting the printing cylinders, a pair of bushes rotatablein the frame of the machine and having eccentric bores, a shaftrotatable in the bores of said bushes, a pair of discs eccentricallymounted on said shaft, a facial cam track in each of said discs, saidcam tracks being eccentric to the shaft, a pair of links each pivoted atone end to the free end of one of said levers, a roller on each of saidlinks engaging the corresponding one of said cam tracks, a Worm wheel onsaid shaft, a worm in mesh with said worm wheel mounted on a spindle ina housing encasing the Worm and worm wheel, said housing being mountedon the shaft, a bifurcated extension of said housing engaging a fixedstud, a hand wheel on the spindle, a lateral extension on each of thebushes, and a link connection from each of said extensions to pneumaticmeans for effecting a partial rotation of said bushes.

ANGUS MURRAY HALLEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,816,796 Rossger July 28, 1931 2,026,434 Quick et a1 Dec. 31,1935 2,146,963 Lang Feb. 14, 1939

